- Ducks drop to eighth in standings as city rivals leapfrog them and set franchise season-win record with 108-92 victory
- The 31-year-old Lin, who top scored for the Ducks with 20 points, loses out to fellow NBA champion Sun Yue
It was a former Beijing Ducks star that come out on top in the Chinese Basketball Association derby in the capital on Tuesday night.
Stephon Marbury, who won three CBA rings with the Ducks before moving across the city to play for and now coach the Beijing Royal Fighters, masterminded a 108-92 win.
Marbury became the team's coach last June after retiring from playing in February, 2018.
Like current Ducks star Jeremy Lin, who is hoped to win a fourth CBA championship for the team, former NBA All-Star Marbury made his name at the New York Knicks. He became a bigger star during his playing days in China, on and off the court.
Today's highlights 108-92 #BeijingDucks lose to Beikong @JLin7 34mins, 20PTS, 5RB, 7AST pic.twitter.com/MoId61R0Or
" Kwawa (@kwawa_hsuk302) January 21, 2020
Marbury is now doing the same as a coach, where he is known for his snappy dressing as much as his winning record.
The win means the Royal Fighters are now tied with the Ducks for the season, with both teams on 19-11 as they go into the Lunar New Year break.
Beijing Royal Fighters coach Stephon Marbury probably wishes his team's play was as sharp as his dress sense, as his charges slumped to a 126-97 defeat against CBA rivals Zhejiang Golden Bulls (Photo by Huang Zongzhi) pic.twitter.com/3oIgLTIYAD
" Xinhua Sports (@XHSports) January 17, 2020
Marbury also saw his team set a Royal Fighters record for most wins in a CBA season, with 16 games to go.
Of the four teams with 19-11 records it is the Royal Fighters that sit highest in the standings in fifth. The Ducks have dropped to eighth, behind Zhejiang Lions and Jilin Northeast Tigers.
Starbury in China: from NBA bad boy to mainland's main man
The Royal Fighters came to the derby on the back of two losses, while the Ducks had two wins, both coming since recalling Lin from his planned rest. They had also won both meetings between the sides this season, 97-87 and 91-90 victories in November.
Lin was unable to make it three on the spin in either case. The NBA champion put up 20 points, top scoring for the Ducks, along with five rebounds and seven assists.
Both sides featured an NBA champion with Sun Yue, who won with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2009, helping to close out the game for the Royal Fighters. The 34-year-old was Marbury's Ducks teammate when they won the 2014 and 2015 championships.
Forget Jeremy Lin's 51 seconds " the odd tale of Sun Yue's NBA title win
The Beijing teams meet again on February 7 in the third game after the break. The Ducks face the Liaoning Leopards and Jilin Northeast Tigers before the rematch.
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